Activism Poster

Through Bridge 4 I wanted to further explore how women are getting judged for their looks. As a society we should learn to overcome that and see women as powerful and strong as they are based on their skills and talents. I wanted to make a motivational poster that brings attention to famous women who deserve more than a headline detailing what they wore instead of their actual accomplishments. These women all bring their unique capabilities from Ashley Graham with her role model to girls for being body positive to Serena Williams for achieving her way to becoming such a talented athlete to Diana who helped change attitudes towards Aids. I made the poster black to draw more attention to the colorful drawings of women who I drew on illustrator. I decided that I wanted something to catch the eye of a viewer by starting off with the word Fuck! Then I reminded that all women can be sexy, smart, confident, and powerful which are often things women have to suppress to fit into society’s standards.

Bridge 3

Original Garment

Sketches

 

Draft

 

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Final

I wanted to speak to the ongoing issue of women specifically in a professional setting are still getting judged by their appearance as their appearance  is somehow a signifier of their capabilities/skills to be successful. Looking at the media we often see headlines that objectify powerful women into nothing more than what they are wearing or what they look like. I was especially interested in this topic after following the presidential election and see Hillary Clinton have to struggle with the constant attacks from the media for being too masculine by wearing pantsuits. Serena Williams also faced backlash on what she wore while playing despite, her overall success as an athlete. This degrading of women can especially be found in the workforce. Many women feel an obligation to dress stereotypically more feminine and wear makeup to fit in their hostile work environment. While, women often in high positions feel obligated to dress in a more masculine manner and to tone down their sexuality to be taken seriously.

After deconstructing the garment that is a men’s shirt I decided to reassemble it into a garment that is specifically designed for women. I kind of played around with the deconstructed pieces to make a form of a deconstructed blazer. I added safety pins and buckles for my own aesthetics and to make the wearer feel more secure and protected.

Bridge 4 Proposal – Rachel Lee

– a description of the topic

Free the nipple movement across social media

– your objectives – long view ideas for change

End the patriarchy that prevent women from having control of their own body

Have Social media platforms like Instagram to allow women to show their nipples

– your goals – short term, small steps to initiate social change

Desexualize the women’s nipple

Make women feel comfortable in their body

Show the double standards for women and men

– who is the audience?

For women

And the people who are in charge of viewing guidlines for Instagram

– 5 ideas to achieve your goals

Zine , Video, Stickers. Posters. Sculpture

– 5 sketches / visualization

– at least 1 inspiration

@freethenipple

 

Thesis

Women are exploring their body to reclaim power due to centuries of fighting stereotypes and hyper sexualization. My art piece will further explore this topic through my own personal experience of exploring what it means to reclaim my body and my sexuality. I am casting my body and essentially deconstructing the casted body  and then reconstructing it.

Sketches + Concept Statement

For this project,  I want to speak on the issue of women getting judged on their capabilities to succeed at their work from their appearance. This was especially an issue with the most recent presidential election as there was more interest by the public on Hillary Clinton’s fashion than her policies. This design is of a blazer that has become a staple in women’s fashion for women to feel empowered. However it is a deconstructed blazer as only the frame of the blazer is sewn together to show how women are essentially using the blazer to give themselves a sense of confidence.

Concept

I was inspired by the subway map to use the colorful lines in my work with embroidery. I plan to use black vinyl as my fabric as it is close to the idea that the technology that we are using now is an extension of ourselves. Essentially, the gloves will become an extension of our arms as I plan to put keyboard keys onto the fingertips.

Zine – Rachel Lee

For my zine, I wanted to use shoes and specifically the kinds of shoes I wear as a base for expressing parts of my identity. Throughout my life, I have always used fashion as a statement of mind and identity. This zine is essentially a mini diary as it reveals my insecurities, opinions, and emotions in its own way. That is why I changed my zine into half letter size from a  typical magazine size to increase intimacy between what I had put into the zine and when the reader receives that information.

Favorite Pictures – Rachel Lee

I chose these 3 images  because they are the most meaningful to me being that these are shots with either some of my closest friends or during the time I was with friends. I particularly like the first photo due to the foot positioning which creates a sense of parallels. Also, you are able to get an overall sense of who I am through these photos with my style. My personal style is usually wearing mostly black as I don’t really want to stand out. That can also be seen throughout my photos as I usually don’t enjoy showing my face.

In Class Collage- Rachel Lee

For this in class collage, I used images of some of my most worn items in my wardrobe. I wanted to convey the the typical look I go for like how I usually wear mostly back with some red or white. I used fabrics and bubble wrap to create not only a sense of texture but, to illustrate the different styles I try from urban chic to street style. The drawn question marks are to illustrate my journey into using fashion for my sense of identity.

Rachel Lee’s Artist Breakfast

Wednesday 10:32 am: A slice of toast with a spread of smooth peanut butter, 2 slices of crispy bacon, scrambled eggs with sausage and vegetables, a dollop of ketchup

I usually don’t eat breakfast but, I decided to try making my own breakfast that morning.

Thursday 12:30 pm: A rose water waffle from Jack’s Wife Freda

My friend, Dami, decided to go for brunch.